Run, Run, Run
by Silver Snow on Mountain Peak
Summary: She ran and ran. There was no turning back. She would just have to become a rogue. How could she return to her Clan after what had happened? Challenge for LightClan.
1. Chapter 1

_Thornpaw hissed at the tabby tom. Bodies lay at Thornpaw's feet, and his muzzle was covered in bright red blood. None of it his. Thornpaw showed his fangs to the cat._

_Thornpaw leaped onto him, and sunk his claws into the tabby's back._

_The tabby yowled in pain and tried to struggle free. _

_Thornpaw tightened his grip, his needle-sharp claws digging even deeper into the other cat's back-_

"Will you stop thrashing around and let me sleep?"

Thornpaw opened his dark brown eyes drowsily. _Why did someone have to awake me? Dreams about battle are my favorite!_

As soon as he saw Mousepaws' angry face looming over him, his drowsiness disappeared, and was replaced with annoyance.

"Will just shut up, because I don't care what saying?" hissed Thornpaw.

And, not giving Snowpaw time to reply, Thornpaw got out of his nest, stretched, and walked out of the apprentices' den, fur still bristling in anger.

"Come on Thornpaw," called his mentor, Foxleaf, who was eating a small squirrel. "We're going hunting!"

Thornpaw groaned and followed his mentor unwillingly out of camp. _Why do we have to go hunting? Fighting is so much better then that! We should leave all the hunting for cats like __Mouse__paw!_

But with Foxleaf as his mentor, he really had no choice but to listen.

Foxleap wasn't the kind of mentor that would do something different then what he planned, because that's what his apprentice wanted.

Thornpaw returned to camp, jaws empty. Empty from prey.

He could tell Foxleaf was disappointed in him.

"_I expected better from an apprentice who was training for more then two moons!" _Foxleaf's words kept ringing in his head. _"It seems like you weren't even trying!"_

Foxleaf himself has caught two mice, a rabbit and a shrew, so he wasn't willing to listen when his apprentice claimed he couldn't find any prey.

Thornpaw padded into camp, tail dragging behind him.

_Why couldn't I catch anything?_

Thornpaw knew the answer. He was too distracted. His annoyance at Mousepaw was taking up all his thoughts, not allowing him to concentrate on hunting.

_It's all __Mouse__paw's fault! _Thornpaw felt his previous anger began to rekindle.

His fury only grew when he saw the cause of it standing right in front of him, a smug look on his face.

Mousepaw, with two mice dangling from his jaws.

He was blocking Thornpaw's way.

"Get out of my way," snarled Thornpaw.

Mousepaw's smug grin widened.

"And what will you do to me if I don't?"

"I'll make you!"

Mousepaw snorted.

"Let's see you! What can a _kittypet_ do anyway?"

Thornpaw clenched his teeth, his body burning in rage. _How _dare _he call me that? Of course I'm not a kittypet! Kittypets are weak, I'm not not, If anything, Mousepaw is a kittypet, being the weak cat he is. It shouldn't be challenge beating him!_

Thornpaw faced Mousepaw, growling.

"What did you call me?"

"Kittypet!"

Thornpaw had to fight himself not to attack Mousepaw. _You'll be in really big trouble if you do!_

"And what right do you think you have to call me that?" Every single syllable was emphasized with fury.

"Everyone knows that!"

"That's not an answer! I want you to tell me _why _you think I'm a kittypet," ordered Thornpaw.

"I don't take orders from kittypets," scoffed Mousepaw. "Now if you excuse me, I have, unlike you, work."

That was the straw that broke his back. Thornpaw hissed so loudly and furiously that Mousepaw's eyes widened in fear.

_Huh! He's afraid of me!_

Thornpaw bunched his muscles, and leaped on Mousepaw, aiming to land on his back.

But before he could, a big black shape smashed into him, throwing him back.

Thornpaw got up, a growl rising in his throat.

The growl stuck in his throat when he realized who the attacker was.

Blackstar, the Clan leader.

"What do you think you were doing?" Blackstar snarled.

"Um..." mumbled Thornpaw, anger beginning to fade into embarrassment.

But as soon as he saw Mousepaw's previously frightened face looking pleased, his fury returned with all the strength.

"Why did you attack him?" pressed Blackstar.

"He was lying, and insulting me!"

"No I wasn't!" chipped in Mousepaw, eyes gleaming.

"Quiet!" ordered Blackstar. "Thornpaw, tell me what he said."

"He called me a kittypet!"

"But it's true!" called Mousepaw.

Thornpaw turned to Mousepaw. "No it's not! I would _never_ be a kittypet! You're the one that acts like a kittypet!"

"Stop it both of you!" Thornpaw turned back to Blackstar.

Blackstar's eyes were filled with sympathy. Towards him. _Sympathy? Why would he feel bad for me?_

"Thornpaw, we need to talk in my den," he hesitated for a second and then added, "Mousepaw, would you call Feathertail? Tell her to come to my den."

_What!? Why does he need to talk to my mother? Or me? And the weirdest, why both of us together?_

For a second, fear flitted in his belly as he thought Blackstar might be telling his mother what he has done, so she would think of a punishment. He didn't want his mother to know what he had done.

But then he remembered the sympathy in Blackstar's eyes. He wouldn't look so sympathetic if that was the reason he wanted to speak to him.

Thornpaw followed Blackstar to his den, and sat there silently while they waited for Feathertail.

At last Feathertail burst in, heaving slightly.

"You wanted me, Blackstar?"

As soon as her eyes flitted to Thornpaw, understanding filled her gaze.

"Are you sure, Blackstar?" She asked. "It might be better to wait until he's older..."

_Huh!? What is she talking about?_

Blackstar shook his head. "It's time he knows."

"Whatever you think," Feathertail dipped her head. "Even though-"

"What are you two talking about?" Thornpaw burst out, leaping on to his legs. "And why are you acting like I'm not here? Like it's only both of you?"

"Thornpaw, sit," mewed Feathertail soothingly. Thornpaw ignored her, staring at Blackstar.

"Sit," ordered Blackstar, and Thornpaw obeyed reluctantly.

"So, what is it that you want to tell me?"

Feathertail looked expectantly at Blackstar. He shook his head.

"No, Feathertail. This is your secret to tell."

"What secret!?"

Feathertail whispered something inaudible.

"What?" demanded Thornpaw.

This time Feathertail answered with a higher and steadier voice.

"Thornpaw, you're a kittypet."

"What!?" _I heard that wrong, didn't I? There's no way that's true!_

"You're a kittypet," she mewed. "Half kittypet," she corrected herself.

Thornpaw felt like his world was crashing down on him. Horror filled him. He _had_ heard correctly.

_No! No! No! I can't be a kittypet! There's no way! There's just no way!_

But he couldn't change what he had heard.

_How can I be a kittypet? I'm one of the best fighters in the Clan! Kittypets can't fight!_

_And wait, does that mean that all the names that Snowpaw had called me were true!?_

_No, it can't be true!_

"You're lying," he hissed to Feathertail. _Yes. That's the only explanation that make sense; she's not telling the truth. I'm _not_ half kittypet._

Blackstar looked shocked. "Thornpaw, don't-"

"Blackstar, please let me deal with this alone."

Blackstar nodded.

"Thornpaw," mewed Feathertail gently. "I know this must be a big shock for you, but you know, it's not so bad. Okay, so your father is a kittypet. It doesn't really matter-"

"Then why did you lie until now and not tell me that?"

Feathertail looked frustrated. "I thought you were too young then-"

"I don't care!" yelled Thornpaw. "I don't care! It's all just excuses! Why didn't Blackstar banish you anyway!? You had kits with a _kittypet__**!"**_

And, without waiting for Feathertail to say anything, Thornpaw burst out of the leader's den.

Thornpaw was about to go to the apprentice's den to try and relax from what had just happened, but a sneering mew stopped him.

Thornpaw turned around, and, not surprisingly at all, Mousepaw was standing in front of him.

"Where are you going?" he mocked. "Back to the Twoleg place, where you belong?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" mewed Mousepaw. "I heard yours' and your mothers' conversation. Huh! Beforehand, I thought you only _acted _like a kittypet. But now I know you actually are one. What are you doing in this Clan, you spoiled Twoleg lover?"

"Shut up!" snarled Thornpaw. He was in a bad enough mood without Mousepaw coming and making it worse.

"Don't tell me-"Mouse

But Thornpaw had had enough of it.

He felt his anger and hatred towards Mousepaw build up inside him, and the desire to hurt Mousepaw, with his claws filled him. To heart his body like Mousepaw was hurting his heart with his words.

Thornpaw yowled as he leaped on Mousepaw, his claws making red marks on Mousepaw's flanks.

Mousepaw screeched in surprise, and tried to turn his head around to bite Thornpaw. Thornpaw jumped off just in time, managing to avoid getting injured. Then he attacked again, anger fueling him.

Mousepaw attacked too, and they were soon a ball of screeching fur, both trying to claw and bite each other.

"Stop them!" he heard a cat call, voice filled with fear. "They're going to kill each other!"

Thornpaw felt a cat pulling him off of Mousepaw.

He realized the cat who had stopped him was Feathertail.

Fury flooded his heart, more powerful then he had ever filled his heart before.

_This is the cat that lied to me! That let me believe I was completely Clan. This the cat that I once called my mother! But not any longer. I don't want any connection to her anymore. Or to any of the cats here, really. It's all Mousepaw's fault! What did I ever do to him? I hate him! And Feathertail!_

The anger that flooded his body was so strong at that second, that he almost fell.

Then he kicked into action.

He struggled free of Feathertail's grasp, his teeth bared.

And then, ignoring the yowls from his Clanmates, he raced across the camp, through the entrance.

He sped across the leaf-covered forest floor. The trees seemed like a blur, and so did his paws.

From in back of him, he could hear more yowls, but couldn't understand what they were saying.

_I hate them! I'm leaving the Clan, and I'm never coming back!_

And then the yowls faded, and instead he could here footsteps behind him.

_Someone's chasing me! _He realized.

Thornpaw increased his speed, running faster then he had ever before. His anger and hatred, and his desire to get away from there already, gave him strength to continue running.

The footsteps behind him faded, but he continued running in full speed.

_I'm never going back!_

Thornpaw continued running.

_None of them care about me!_

He ran.

_The only one who I thought cared about me was Feathertail, but even she didn't care enough to tell me the truth!_

And ran.

_And Mousepaw... If I ever see him again, he's crowfood._

And ran.

_Actually, crowfood is better then he deserves!_

And ran.

_Where am I going, anyway?_

And stopped.

He was standing in the mouth of a cave. He had no idea were he was. Beside the cave was a small stream, which was making gentle splashing sounds.

Thornpaw suddenly realized how tired he was. His eyes were almost closed, his brain felt foggy, and his legs were shaking.

He crept into the cave, not caring if there was anything in there. He collapsed onto the ground, and immediately fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thornpaw blinked his eyes open, and for a second he was unsure where he was.

Then he remembered.

_I'm not in ForestClan any longer. I'm alone from now on. Alone in an unknown place._

The memories from the previous day filled his mind. _I'm half kittypet..._

Thornpaw shook his head. _Whatever. It doesn't matter that you're a kittypet anymore, because you are no longer in ForestClan. And you should be happy. After all, now you can be alone, away from Mousepaw and Feathertail. And the rest of that ignorant Clan._

Thornpaw got up on his legs, deciding he will go catch himself something. He was starving.

Thornpaw walked out through the entrance of the dim cave, and winced slightly at the bright light outside.

Thornpaw looked up at the sky. I was almost sun-high, and the cloudless sky was a bright blue. The sun sent warmth cursing through his body, and a soft breeze was blowing, ruffling Thornpaws' fur. It was perfect weather.

Normally Thornpaw would have enjoyed it, but not now.

He did not care for the beautiful weather. His mind was to full of dark thoughts, and his heart with somewhat dying anger and hatred.

Thornpaw decided he would concentrate only on hunting.

He cleared his mind of everything; only focusing on his breathing and the steady beating of his heart. Then, when he felt somewhat calmer, he turned to hunt.

Thornpaw bent his head, sniffing the ground. Almost immediately a fresh scent of mouse filled his nose.

Thornpaw followed the scent, nose still touching the ground.

Thornpaw spotted the mouse, nibbling on a small nut. The strange thing was that the mouse didn't look alert, at all. His ears weren't pricked; his little body didn't look tense, ready to leap back to his hole in time of danger. The mouse looked very relaxed, completely intent on his nut, and not noticing even by the slightest that danger, in the shape of a cat, was stalking him.

_This is going to be easier then I thought, _realized Thornpaw. _I don't think that mouse has ever encountered cats._

Thornpaw slowly crept forward towards the brown little creature.

Then, when Thornpaw got close enough, he jumped, caught the mouse between his forepaws, and snapped it's scruff.

Thornpaw looked down at his catch.

The mouses' brown fur reminded him of someone.

_Mousepaw! I never realized he was so similar to mice. Well, his name is, after all, _Mouse_paw._

His thoughts about Mousepaw aroused his anger once again. _Mousepaw. I hate him._

Thornpaw closed his eyes and imagined that Mousepaw was under his paws. Thornpaw unsheathed his claws and passed them over and over again on the imaginary Mousepaw. He imagined his blood running, staining his claws-

Thornpaw opened his eyes, and realized that his claws really were covered in blood. He looked down, horrified, and realized that the mouse he had caught previously was now a mass of fur and blood.

_What have I done!?_

Thornpaw stepped away from the mouse.

_I- I was imagining it was Mousepaw. And look what I did. How could I have taken joy from the thought of injuring a different cat?_

_Why do I hate Mousepaw so badly, anyway? _He asked himself.

He could not find an answer for that.

_It's not like he did to me anything so terrible, all he did was call me a few names. What I did was much worse. I-I attacked him, my own Clanmate, or at least he was at that time, and I might've even killed him, if Feathertail hadn't stopped me._

_Why am I so angry at her, also?_

_Okay, maybe she should never have lied to me, but she was just trying to protect me. She didn't think it would bother me so much. Really, I shouldn't have gotten angry at any of them; any of my Clanmates._

_They had never done anything to me. Why did I get so upset that I decided to run away? There was no real reason to._

Thornpaw felt ashamed of himself. _Why did I act like that?_

_Well, you can fix it! _A voice in his head said. _Go back to the Clan, and apologize for what you did! _

Longing to be back in ForestClan; to see Feathertail again, and apologize, filled him. To be back home in the place he belonged.

Thornpaw shook his head.

_No. I can't do that. _

_I can't go back to the Clan, not after the way I acted, and then the way I ran away, without giving up all my dignity; my pride. And I'm not willing to do that. I rather keeping my pride._

_I can't lose it._

_And that means, that I will never be going back to ForestClan._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Thornpaw, returned to the cave, head down and tail dragging. And just to add to it, he also had no prey to calm his growling belly.

He has come to a decision, though it was a hard one; he will not be going back to ForestClan. Never.

Thornpaw slipped into the cave, and immediately was engulfed by a strange, foul scent.

Thornpaw wrinkled his nose. _What is that?_

Thornpaw felt a hot breath on his scruff, and heard a soft growl.

He jumped around, and to his horror, he saw a fox, glaring down at him. Thornpaw swallowed, and then tried to move, but his body was frozen to the spot in fear.

The fox growled, and Thornpaw watched, eyes wide, as he stepped closer.

Suddenly, the fox surged forwards, at Thornpaw.

Suddenly Thornpaw could move, and move he did.

Thornpaw ducked the fox's attack, and raced out through the entrance.

Thornpaw kept running, not daring to stop; he knew the fox was following him.

The trees around him turned to a swirl of brown and green as he ran, mixed in with golden sunlight.

Thornpaw could feel a hot breath on him, and he strained his legs to run even faster.

Thornpaw ran.

_The fox is about to catch me!_

An ran.

_I'm dead if he does!_

And ran

_I don't want to die!_

And ran.

Thornpaw gritted his teeth and forced himself to run even faster.

And stopped.

Thornpaw bashed, in full speed, into a gray shape.

Thornpaw felt his head spin as he lay, dazed, eyes half closed, on the ground.

Thornpaw felt his head clear up, and he got up slowly on his legs.

He managed to see three cats chasing the fox away, hissing and clawing. They returned after a second, looking slightly out of breath, but nothing like Thornpaw, who was breathing so hard he was surprised they couldn't hear him back in ForestClan.

_Wait! ForestClan!?_

He could almost promise he could smell ForestClan.

Actually, the scent was all over, on the trees, rocks, ground, and even cats.

_Wait! So that means those cats are ForestClan cats, and I'm on ForestClan territory! How did I get here?_

"Thornpaw?"

Thornpaw looked up.

_Featherail!_

"Oh, Thornpaw!" Thornpaw felt a muzzle brush against him. "You came back!"

_I-What!? I wasn't planning on coming back! I thought I-I decided I'm never coming back!_

But when Thornpaw looked up at Feathertails' love-filled blue eyes, he couldn't find the heart to tell her that.

"I'm so glad you came back."

Thornpaw felt awkward, and broke free from his mother.

"Hi Thornpaw!"

It was Thunderpaw, the youngest apprentice in the Clan.

"Hi!" mumbled Thornpaw back, eyes at the ground. _I can't be back!_

"Come on," Feathertail mewed. "We should go back to camp."

She led the way, with Thunderpaw beside her, Silverstorm a step in back, and Thornpaw dragging in the back.

_How am I supposed to tell her I don't want to come back? That I'm here by mistake?_

They entered camp.

As soon as cats saw Thornpaw, they started whispering amongst them, throwing him curious glances.

Thornpaw tried to ignore them, looking only forwards.

Blackstar padded up to him, eyes bright. "You came back!"

"Um..." mewed Thornpaw. "I don't-"

Blackstar rapped his tail around Thornpaw's shoulders. "It's okay, I understand."

_Understand what!?_

A brown cat padded up to him. _Mousepaw!?_

"Um... hi," mewed Mousepaw hesitantly.

"Hi..." answered Thornpaw.

"Listen, Thornpaw, I'm really sorry for everything I did, and I'm glad you're back."

_What!? Mousepaw- Mousepaw of all cats- apologizing, to him?_

But before Thornpaw could even take that in, Blackstar got in the way.

"Come on, Thornpaw," mewed Blackstar. "I want to talk to you privately."

Thornpaw followed Blackstar to his den.

Blackstar told him to sit, and Thornpaw obeyed.

"I'm glad you're back," began Blackstar. "And I'm not going to ask you what made you come back, but feel free to if you want."

Thornpaw nodded.

"I'm just telling you," he went on. "That it makes no difference that you're half kittypet, and just to tell you, Mousepaw was devastated when he realized you ran away because of him. He felt really bad."

Thornpaw nodded again, still unable to do anyhting but that.

"Okay, how about you go take a rest in the apprentices' den? You look tired."

Thornpaw slipped out of the leader's den and walked to the apprentices' den.

Only when he lay down in his nest he managed to comprehend what just happened.

_I'm back in ForestClan-__ despite what I decided._

Suddenly a feeling filled him, warming his whole body up, and almost causing him to purr.

Happiness. Pure happiness.

_I'm back in ForestClan!_

Thornpaw felt like he was about to laugh in relief and bliss.

_I'm back in ForestClan!_

_It never mattered that I was half kittypet! The only reason it did, was because I decided to make it a problem. Make a mountain out of a speck of dust._

Thornpaw closed his eyes, barely able to believe he was actually back.

"Thank you, fox," was the last thing he murmured before he went to sleep.

After all, without that fox he would never have returned.


End file.
